Five considerations for financial services marketers when it comes to audio content
Last week we gathered audio content experts to discuss the boost in popularity that podcast and webinar content has seen throughout lockdown and its future potential. For our latest webinar in partnership with BrightTALK we were joined by Sean Kearns (Longitude), Phil Caplin (Broadcast Revolution), Ryan Ross (BrightTALK) and Keese Schreane (Refinitiv). We explored the trends which have emerged across audio and webinar marketing, and heard about the things financial services firms need to consider when creating quality content that will remain relevant into the long-term.
The significance of audio as a medium for financial services marketing has been accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic – with global podcast company Acast reporting a 49% month-on-month increase in new podcasts being set up in April 2020. Even before lockdown measures were introduced and working from home was encouraged, three quarters of marketers noted that webinars were one of the most effective ways of generating quality business leads.
Yet as the dust settles and the digital content landscape grows increasingly competitive, marketers need to think about differentiation and how this content medium supports their longer term strategies. If you’re considering audio content for your financial services marketing toolkit here are five key considerations:
1. Start with clarity: Begin with a clear idea of what you want to say, and why you’re creating audio content. That answer is your foundation – and it’s also fine to say ‘we don’t need this medium’ if it doesn’t support the business’ vision and objectives.
2. Know your audience: The evergreen imperative in financial services marketing is having a good understanding of your audience and their needs, as well as what they want to hear from your organisation. Digital content – especially podcasts – sits on the blurred line between personal and professional lives.
More than being financial services professionals and customers, your audiences are individuals whose time and attention you are competing for.
3. Keep it authentic: Truly effective marketing is about amplifying your business’ voice in ways which engage your audience and motivate them to keep doing so. So when creating audio content, be clear on your brand’s message and ensure you select the right host or moderator to deliver it. In this case, the message and the messenger are of equal importance!
4. Look inward: As well as having a lot to offer to your external audiences and stakeholders, digital content holds enormous potential for internal education purposes. With many firms investing in employee training as we continue to work remotely, consider if audio and digital content could be used to upskill your internal stakeholders.
5. Look forward: Creating digital content now which will remain relevant in the future requires us to take a long term view of how it will age against an evolving backdrop. As we are seeing across the financial services space, data intelligence is being employed to shape a more customised experience for the end user. According to our panellists, audio and webinar content is no different: keep an ear to the ground and an eye on the horizon for emerging audience preferences. What are the discussions that relationship managers are having? What searches is your website seeing more and more of? Is there an education gap which you could fill with a podcast, and continue to own? Customisation will make your content stickier for the end user, ultimately strengthening your brands’ position as sector experts while building loyalty.
